Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz playing doubles at Paris 2024 (Image: Getty)
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have been staying in the Olympic village despite being two of the world’s biggest sports stars. The Spanish pair are into the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles after beating Dutch duo Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in three sets on Tuesday and are among the favourites to win gold.
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This means they could be set for an extended stay in the village, surrounded by hundreds of adoring fellow athletes. Usually, high-profile competitors stay in hotels to avoid the endless crush of attention, but Nadal, 38, and Alcaraz, 21, have chosen to mingle with the masses.
That said, according to Spanish outlet 20 Minutos, Alcaraz has asked for breakfast to be delivered to his room to give himself a moment’s peace from the crowds. It comes after Novak Djokovic, who knocked Nadal out of the singles competition on Monday, snubbed the village in order to stay in his own accommodation.
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Speaking after his straight sets defeat to Djokovic, Nadal said: “I think to live the full experience you need to be in the village, that’s true. Of course for us it’s a little bit [less] comfortable and we are used to staying in hotels or houses with the things probably more comfortable than how the things are in the village but, I mean, when you are in the Olympics I think playing in an Olympic Games without being in the village is like playing another event.
“So it’s only once every four years and for me, personally, don’t make sense to stay in a hotel. We stay in a hotel every single week.”
Alcaraz agreed, and even claimed he enjoys the endless attention. “I like being surrounded by people, feeling the passion and the energy,” he said. “Staying in a hotel would have been quieter, but I will never forget the affection of the athletes, the hugs and the selfies”.
Nadal and Alcaraz have been staying at the Olympic village (Image: Getty)
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Spanish gynast Ana Perez has been documenting life in the village since arriving in Paris last week by uploading videos, photos and live streams to TikTok. She was asked online whether Nadal and Alcaraz live under the same conditions as other athletes, with one user saying they sincerely “doubted” it.
But Perez insisted they did, and even claimed the famous duo took time out to meet and greet as many people as they could. “This was the other day in the Villa’s dining room,” she said in one video after uploading a photo of her and Nadal. “And we have already met several times in the elevator.”
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Unlike Nadal, Alcaraz is still going strong in the singles, having reached the third round following wins over Hady Habib and Tallon Griekspoor – his opponent in Tuesday’s doubles. Up next is a clash with Roman Safiullin, and victory there would see him advance to the quarter-finals where he’ll face the winner of Corentin Moutet and Tommy Paul.
Should Alcaraz go on to win the gold, he’ll have replicated doubles team-mate Nadal’s 2008 success. Victory in the doubles, however, would be a career first for both men.
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